A consortium of American associations was successful in its bid to host the 10th World Congresses of Gastroenterology in Los Angeles, California, and has been preparing the program for the past three years. The aim is to organize an exceptional international scientific meeting for all U. S. and international professionals concerned with digestive diseases and related sciences. The meeting returns to the country of the 1st World Congress which was held in Washington, D. C. in 1958. The program builds on the successes of the previous nine and will make the 10th outstanding. The plan is to recognize the successes in the field by defining the state of the art, identify the major remaining problems, and help to determine the direction of research in gastroenterology.